Standable paste dispenser tube



Feb. 22, 1966 L |NTQN STANDABLE PASTE DISPENSER TUBE Filed Aug. 31. 1964 United States Patent 3,236,417 STANDABLE PASTE DISPENSER TUBE Donald L. Linton, P. Onthauk, Pecksland Road, Greenwich, Conn. Filed Aug. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 393,081 Claims. (Cl. 222-92) This invention relates to a tube for dispensing paste material, such as antiperspirant cream, glue, or the like, which can be used as an applicator and can be stood in inverted condition. More specifically, it deals with a dispenser for paste material incorporating a squeeze tube, a perforated dispensing head, attached thereto, and a cap on which the dispenser may be stood, which cap may contain inwardly-projecting perforation clearing projections and positioning and locking means thereon.

Paste material, such as antiperspirant cream, for example, has been marketed in the form of jars or in squeeze tubes. In either case, it is necessary to use the fingers to spread the cream locally. There would be a much greater market for such creams if a dispenser could be devised which will accomplish what a roll on applicator does, i.e., spread the cream locally without requiring the messing of the fingers, keep the dispenser in an upright and aesthetically-desirable manner, etc.

According to the present invention, a dispenser is provided which, although it incorporates a squeeze tube, it can nevertheless he stood upright on a rigid cap having a flat bottom, and it is provided with a perforated head which may be used as an applicator. Furthermore, the cap may be provided with sealing prongs which are designed to fit tightly in the perforations to prevent leakage of the cream therethrough, at least one of which prongs may be provided with locking means to lock the cap firmly onto the head. Other novel features include positioning means for the cap, removable head for the tube, etc.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment is described, and in which FIGURE 1 presents a side elevational view of a preferred dispenser of the present invention. FIGURE 2 depicts a similar view of the same dispenser taken at right angles to that of FIGURE 1. FIGURE 3 illustrates a side view of a dispenser cap partially cut away and in removed condition. FIGURE 3a shows a similar view of the dispensing body portion of a similar dispenser with the cap of FIGURE 3 removed. FIGURE 4 shows a side view of another modification of similar dispenser body with its cap removed. FIGURE 4a depicts a similar view of a cap for the dispenser of FIGURE 4. FIGURE 5 also depicts a side view of a cap for the dispenser shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, with a portion cut away, While FIGURE 5a shows a similar view of the dispensing portion of the body, with a part cut away, and with its cap in removed condition. The same numerals refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawings, numeral indicates generally a squeeze tube made of flexible plastic, for example, having a body 14 with its sealed line bottom 11, and its head, indicated generally as 12, said head being coverable with a cap indicated generally as 13. Cap 13 has open end for receiving the head portion 12 of tube 10, and a flat bottom 16, on which the dispenser may he stood on a flat surface, such as a shelf 17. Bottom 16 of cap 13 is preferably wider than its open end 15, and Wide enough to provide a stable base for the dispenser.

In its simplest form, shown in FIG. 3, the present dispenser tube 14 has its attached head 12, also preferably made of plastic, shaped at its outermost dispensing extremity 19, in rounded form. This rounded tip 19 of head 12 is provided with openings 18, through which 3,236,417 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 ice cream in tube 14 may be squeezed. By rubbing head end 19 during the squeezing operation, the cream may be readily distributed over the local skin area to be treated, and the use of fingers for distributing the cream is obviated. The side of head 12 is provided with a thread 20 which co-acts with thread 21 inside of the side of cap 13, and serves to lock the cap onto the head, and a beveled inner edge 22 at open end 15 of the cap insures sealing of the cap onto the beveled shoulder 23 of tube 14. Cap 13 has an inner rounded surface 24 having a shape complementary to that of head end 19, and a soft gasket 25 thereon, so as to insure adequate sealing of head 13 with respect thereto.

In the modification shown in FIG. 4, tube 14 also is provided with head 12, having perforations 18. However, the center perforation 26 is asymmetrical in cross-section (i.e., it is square shaped). Cap 13 has, projecting from its inner bottom surface, prongs 27 which are designed to fit tightly in openings 18, and thus seal them against leakage of contents of tube 14 when the cap is pressed over head 12, and the dispenser is in upright position, as in FIGS. 1-2. For this reason, pegs or prongs 27 may be provided with a slight taper to insure tightness. However, the center prong 28 is also asymmetrically shaped to conform to the shape of asymmetrical hole 28. Also, prong 28 is slightly longer than the other prongs 27, so that when cap 13 is pressed over head 12, it may be turned slightly until a position is reached wherein prong 28 fits into hole 26. When the cap and head are thus positioned, the other prongs 27 are designed to be in register with their respective openings 18, so that, when cap 13 is pressed further over head 12, all of the prongs fill the holes, and thus seal the latter against leakage of cream therethrough.

In the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, tube 14 has round open end 29 having an outer thread 30 which screws on inner thread 31 on the open end 32 of head 12, thus making head 12 reuseable and adapted to take a refill tube 14, filled with cream. The refill may be covered with a plastic film 33, when purchased, which film may be punctured before tube 14 is screwed on to head 12. Also, the outer side wall of head 12 may be provided with spaced, axially-directed peripheral ridges 34 which, together with ridges 35 on the inside of cap 35, serve to prevent rotation of the cap independently of the tube, which action otherwise would shear ofi prongs 27, etc. Ridges 35 on the cap are spaced wide enough apart to permit ridges 34 of the head to slide between them.

Central prong 28 may be provided with a bulge 36 near bottom 16 of the cap, so that, when bulge 36 is forced through hole 26, it serves as a lock to prevent ready slipping off of cap 13 from head 12.

I claim:

1. A standable paste dispenser tube, comprising, in combination,

a flexible squeeze tube designed to contain a pasty material, and having a sealed end and an enlarged dispensing head,

a multiplicity of symmetrically-arranged discharge openings disposed in said head for discharge therethrough of pasty material,

a cap having an open end designed to fit over said head and a flat end designed to enable standing thereon of said dispenser tube in a stable position,

a multiplicity of symmetrically-arranged prongs projecting from the inside of the flat end of said cap in the same pattern as the openings in said head and designed to fit tightly into said head openings when inserted therein,

axially-directed guide means on the side of said head, designed to co-act with guide means on said cap, and

axially-directed guide means on the inside of the side Wall of said cap designed to co-act with said guide means disposed on said head, in staggered relation with respect to the other guide means to prevent twisting of said cap independently of'said head.

2. A standable paste dispenser tube according to claim 1 in which the tube is separable from and attachable to its head in outside sealing relation.

3. A standable paste dispenser according to claim 11 in which said head has a centrally-positioned opening, and said cap has a centrally-positioned prong disposed in register with said centrally-positioned opening in said head, said latter prong extending somewhat further than the other prongs.

4. A standable paste dispenser according to claim 3 in 15 which the centrally-positioned prong has a bulge near its cap terminus and designed to serve as a lock after being forced through said centrally-positioned opening in said head.

4 5. A standable paste dispenser according to claim 3 in which said centrally-positioned opening is asymmetricallyshaped, serving as the guide means on said head, and said centrally-positioned prong is of complementary shape, serving as the guide means on said cap.

References {Zited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,084,568 6/1937 White 222105 3,155,285 11/1964 Van Baal-n 222-480 X FOREIGN PATENTS 20,814 12/1915 Denmark. 980,094 5/ 1951 France. 216,087 11/ 1941 Switzerland.

LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. A STANDABLE PASTE DISPENSER TUBE, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FLEXIBLE SQUEEZE TUBE DESIGNED TO CONTAIN A PASTY MATERIAL, AND HAVING A SEALED END AND AN ENLARGED DISPENSING HEAD, A MULTIPLICITY OF SYMMETRICALLY-ARRANGED DISCHARGE OPENINGS DISPOSED IN SAID HEAD FOR DISCHARGE THERETHROUGH OF PASTY MATERIAL, A CAP HAVING AN OPEN END DESIGNED TO FIT OVER SAID HEAD AND A FLAT DESIGNED TO ENABLE STANDING THEREON OF SAID DISPENSER TUBE IN A STABLE POSITION, A MULTIPLICITY OF SYMMETRICALLY-ARRANGED PRONGS PROJECTING FROM THE INSIDE OF THE FLAT END OF SAID CAP IN THE SAME PATTERN AS THE OPENINGS IN SAID HEAD AND DESIGNED TO FIT TIGHTLY INTO SAID HEAD OPENINGSR WHEN INSERTED THEREIN, AXIALLY-DIRECTED GUIDE MEANS ON THE SIDE OF SAID HEAD, DESIGNED TO CO-ACT WITH GUIDE MEANS ON SAID CAP, AND AXIALLY-DIRECTED GUIDE MEANS ON THE INSIDE OF THE SIDE WALL OF SAID CAP DESIGNED TO CO-ACT WITH SAID GUIDE MEANS DISPOSED ON SAID HEAD, IN STAGGERED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER GUIDE MEANS TO PREVENT TWISTING OF SAID CAP INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID HEAD. 